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| Image by Ladislav Zaborsky |
Part two in a series...
Our understanding of this feast has been shaped in large measure by the Christmas carol, We Three Kings. In addition to centuries of art, this song is responsible for our assuming many things about this feast which the scriptures don't support.
In too many places (unfortunately) only the first and second verses of this carol are sung - and it's always a shame when a hymn is truncated like that. A hymn is a poem set to music: imagine reading a poem and stopping half way through!
It's especially important to sing through all five verses of We Three Kings because they outline the story of Jesus - a story we certainly don't want to cut short.
Most of us know the first verse by heart - the story of the magis' gift-bearing journey. Verses 2, 3 and 4 focus on the gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh - and their relationship to the ministry of Jesus. Of particular note, verse 4 brings us to the suffering, dying and entombment of Christ - in a Christmas carol! And finally, verse 5 brings us to Jesus rising from the dead.
I hope you'll take time to listen and sing along with this presentation of We Three Kings. I've chosen this version particularly because of the arrangement of verse 4 - you'll see what I mean...
We Three Kings by Clamavi de Profundis
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